Morning Star
by Beladio
Summary: What exactly is the connection between the Fey and immortals? When Connor Macleod becomes entangled with an exiled faery, the answer just may be revealed.
1. Flight Of The Morning Star

A/N: This is my first Highlander fic. It is actually based partially on a fic I wrote for LotR,   
  
a while back. I hated the fic, and evetually deleted most of it. But a friend of mine told me  
  
recently that he thought part of it would make an awesome Highlander fic. So, I took the original  
  
"legend" from the fic, and turned it into this. This chapter and the next are set in the past, and  
  
this one doesn't feature Connor at all. The song is "Moving On" by Rascal Flatts. Thanks to Ty for  
  
the name Amirilli, which come from his song 'Amirilli's Secret'.   
  
~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~  
  
I've lived in this place and I've know all the faces  
  
Each one is different but they're always the same  
  
They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it  
  
They'll never allow me to change  
  
But I never dreamed that home would end up where I don't belong  
  
~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~  
  
  
  
  
  
Amirilli shoved the last items into the pack, sighing at the finality of it all. Although she  
  
was sure of the decision that she had made, it did not make things easier. She had spent her   
  
enire life in Lir, never setting foot outside its borders. As princess, she had been bound   
  
to this land for as long as she could remember. A beautiful bird, trapped in a gilded cage.   
  
But all that had changed in the past few days, as the bonds that had held her were torn asunder.  
  
She had finally come to terms with the fact that she would never be content as the princess of   
  
her faery land, that those that loved her would never allow her to be what she truly was.   
  
  
  
  
  
As a child, she had been happy and content. Content to be the gem in her father's crown,   
  
the center of his world. Content to live the life he had set out for her, to be what he wanted   
  
her to be. But, as the years swept by, she discovered within herself strange powers; abilities   
  
that were dark and frightening. As the pressures of living up to her father's expectations grew,  
  
so did her desire to use those powers that she had been forbidden to practice. And as those   
  
powers had grown, so had the stories told by her people. And somewhere along the way, those   
  
legends had become her defining traits; until it seemed that no one knew the real Amirilli anymore.   
  
She had become lost to them, entangled in what they believed her to be. Restlessness grew   
  
within her, the desire to break free of her gilded cage; to fly. She knew that she would someday  
  
leave Lir, and journey into the wide world. And now, the time had come. With the cursing of   
  
her love, the last connection holding her to Lir was severed. She no longer had any reason   
  
to stay, nothing left to bind her to her people and their ways.  
  
  
  
  
  
~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~  
  
I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons  
  
Finally content with the past I regret  
  
I've found you find strength in your moment of weakness  
  
For once I'm at peace with myself  
  
~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~  
  
  
  
  
  
Amirilli moved to stand before the large mirror, studying her reflection intently. She   
  
was trying to spy the difference in her, the thing within herself that had brought her to this   
  
moment. The delicate features, the gift of her faery blood, were as they had always been. The   
  
slender arms and delicate hands had not changed, nor had her long flowing hair. Looking closer,   
  
she turned her attention to the emerald eyes that stared back at her. Eyes that had once been   
  
full of light and life, eyes that now harbored a sadness that words could not descibe. A   
  
sadness brought on by love and loss, by the epic fall. Sighing heavily, she pulled the silver   
  
brush through her long white curls. Perhaps it had not been so bad, the fall. Perhaps. But   
  
neither had it been simple. For the fall had led to a love that was doomed from the start, a   
  
love that had brought her to this point. It had stirred in her a great sadness, as she had come   
  
to realize that she could not remain in Lir. Though it had long been her home, she no longer   
  
belonged there.  
  
  
  
  
  
A light knock at the door snapped her from her reverie, bringing her sharply back to the   
  
moment at hand. She watched in the mirror as the door crept open, and a young woman stuck her   
  
head into the room. Amirilli smiled sadly, knowing that she would miss her handmaiden most of all.  
  
  
  
"Come in Rahne."  
  
"So, you intend to do this?"  
  
"Yes, I do."  
  
"But Amirilli..."  
  
"Rahne, please. This is difficult enough, do not make it more so. I have to go, there is no   
  
other way."  
  
"If I may say so M'lady, you are not nearly the wicked fey that you believe yourself to be."  
  
"Be that as it may, I still must go.", Amirilli whispered; turning to Rahne.  
  
Tears welled up in the sapphire eyes of the younger faery, and she bowed her head to hide them.   
  
Amirilli moved to her, wrapping her arms around her sobbing form. She could feel her own tears   
  
begin to fall, and let them come freely. Rahne had been by her side for most of her life, and   
  
the princess was not sure how she would go on without her.  
  
"Please M'lady, do not go. And if you must, then take me with you."  
  
"I must go Rahne, you know that as well as I.", Amirilli whispered; pulling away. "And I can   
  
not take you with me. This is your home, and you love it. I could not ask you to leave your   
  
home, to leave your family."  
  
"I would, if you asked it of me."  
  
"I know that you would, and that is why I can not ask it. But I will as you to do me one   
  
last service. Go to the stables, and have Tor saddled. Speak nothing of this to anyone, I   
  
beg of you."  
  
"Yes M'lady.", Rahne whispered sadly; turning to the door.  
  
"And gather Eithne as well."  
  
"And Myrdinn, what of him?", Rahne asked, speaking of the great black falcon that Amirilli   
  
had been caring for.  
  
"The wide world is no place for a wounded falcon. He will be yours now, if you will have him."  
  
"I will cherish him as I have cherished you.", the younger fey replied.  
  
"Then he will be well and truly blessed. Now go, time grows short."  
  
  
  
  
  
Amirilli watched as the handmaiden left the room, her head bowed in sorrow. She sat down   
  
heavily on the edge of her bed, steeling her courage. The time of leaving had truly arrived,   
  
and she found that fear had taken grip down deep in her soul. She momentarily considered staying,   
  
binding herself forever to her father's dreams. She may well have done so, if not for the   
  
appearance of a large white wolf. The beast walked slowly to her, laying his head in her lap.   
  
She looked down into soulful sapphire eyes, and knew that her fate was sealed.  
  
"So, this is it Tristan.", she whispered.  
  
The wolf whined softly, giving her comfort in his own way. She smiled gently at him, then stood   
  
and walked across the room. She took a piece of parchment, and wrote a final farewell to her   
  
father. Tears dropped to the parchment as she wrote, staining the delicate paper. With one   
  
final sigh, she laid the note on the pillows of the bed, and left her rooms forever.  
  
  
  
  
  
*******************************************  
  
  
  
  
  
Daithin stopped before the elaborately carved doors of his daughter's rooms, knocking softly.  
  
He waited patiently, listening for the lilting reply from within. Several minutes passed in   
  
silence, and he finally opened the door and stepped in. The room looked just as it always had,   
  
full of the things that his child had long cherished. But there was an emptiness to the room,   
  
a lack of spirit; and he knew that Amirilli was gone. His gaze wandered around the room,   
  
settling on the piece of parchment lying on the bed. He moved across the room, picking up the  
  
note. Tears flowed down his face, as he read her final words.  
  
'There comes a time in everyone's life, when all you can see are the years passing by. And I  
  
have made up my mind that those days are gone. I've loved like I should, but lived like I   
  
shouldn't. And I had to lose everything to find out. Perhaps forgiveness will find me somewhere  
  
down this road...  
  
~Saqarra'  
  
Daithin fell to his kness, clutching the note to his chest. His mournful sobs filled the room,   
  
his tears falling to the marble floor unheeded. His morning star had fled, leaving him to face   
  
the coming years in twilight and grief.  
  
  
  
~FIN 


	2. The River

A/N: Here is the second chapter of Morning Star. This one also takes place in the past, just after   
  
Connor is driven from his village. There will probably be more of these "flashback" chapters, but for   
  
now the next few chapters will take place in the present. Special thanks to my friend Abe, for all his   
  
support!  
  
The River  
  
Connor sat on the cold stone of the outcropping, his gaze traveling across the highlands.   
  
He wasn't looking for anything in particular, for there was nothing to see; save for green fields  
  
and hills. He had spent his entire life on the highlands, and still they held the power to enthrall   
  
him. Even now, as his future seemed uncertain; and with no clan to turn to. He had no family   
  
now, no home, no kinsman. They had driven him away, leaving him an outcast; destined to wander   
  
these hills alone. In the distance, a howl rose from the twilight. It was a mournful sound, the  
  
call of the wolf searching for his mate. Connor turned his gaze toward the sound, his breath   
  
catching in his chest as the wolf appeared at the top of the ridge. It was a sight like he had   
  
never before seen, a huge male wolf; as white as the driven snow. It looked toward him, sapphire  
  
eyes glittering in the dwindling light. Raising its head towards the heavens, it again sang forth  
  
its mournful song.   
  
  
  
  
  
Connor closed his eyes, waiting for an answering howl from the wolf's mate. The minutes   
  
ticked by in silence, and he finally opened his eyes once more. The wolf stood motionless, his   
  
gaze trained on the young highlander. His hand reached instincively for his sword, fear creeping  
  
in around him. As he watched the wolf, waiting for any sign of attack, he felt a tingle run up   
  
his back. The air grew heavy, as if the world was holding its breath; waiting for some epic   
  
event. As the last rays of the sun struck the ridge, the woman appeared. She bent beside the   
  
wolf, her fingers moving languidly through snowy fur. She spoke to the beast, words that Connor   
  
could not hear; and the wolf turned and disappeared over the hill.  
  
  
  
  
  
Turning toward him, the woman started down the hill. He knew who she was, knew what she was.  
  
Even had he been blind, he would have known her; recognized her presence. Her name was Amirilli,  
  
the Morning Star. The holder of life, the bringer of death. That was what the legends told him,  
  
the tales told around campfires and in darkened pubs. The guardian of the Clan Macleod, some called   
  
her; a faery given the task of watching over them all. Others said that to see her was a bad sign,  
  
an omen of impending death. She was a child of darkness walking in the light, a child of darkness   
  
just like him. And Connor had seen her twice before, seen her walking across the highlands at   
  
sunset. Once as a young boy, and again mere days before the battle that had claimed his life.   
  
He briefly wondered what would come of this, for he had nothing left to loose.  
  
  
  
  
  
Connor held his breath, waiting for her to reach him. He had never been so close to her   
  
before, had never spoken to her. Part of him believed that she would simply pass him by, his   
  
presence of no more concern to her than the rocks he sat upon. His eyes wandered over her,   
  
marveling at the beauty she possessed. Her silvery hair sparkled in the dying light, dancing on   
  
gentle breezes. And her eyes, a deep jewel green, glittered with secrets known only to her and   
  
her kind. It was easy to see why many believed her to be fey, and Connor thought that perhaps   
  
they were right. She had the pale ivory skin and etheral features of a creature not of his world,   
  
and a grace that defied the human form.  
  
"My, how the mighty have fallen.", she said as she reached him; snapping him out of his reverie.  
  
"You speak as though you know me."  
  
"Better than you might think Connor Macleod."  
  
"If you know me so well, then tell me what I am; tell me why.", Connor pleaded.  
  
"It is not my place to tell you these things, but you will know them soon enough."  
  
"And who will tell me?"  
  
"You will know him when you meet."  
  
"Why must you speak in such riddles woman!? Why have you come, if you mean to tell me nothing."  
  
"Do not speak so harshly to me highlander, for you do not have such a right. I did not say that  
  
I would tell you nothing."  
  
"But you did say that you would not tell me what it is I need to hear, you will not tell me   
  
what it is I need to know. Look at me, look at what has become of me! Why has God forsaken me,   
  
and left me all alone?", Connor cried.  
  
  
  
  
  
The woman sat down beside him on the rocks, her eyes filled with sorrow and pain. Connor   
  
looked deeply into her eyes for a long moment, searching for a glimmer of hope. Finally, he   
  
slumped against her; his head coming to rest in her lap. Her fingers ran softly through his   
  
matted hair, easing apart the knots and tangles. Connor's eyes closed, the languid carress of   
  
her fingers putting him at ease; the soft scent of her filling his senses. She began to hum   
  
softly, a gentle melody that sounded hauntingly familiar.  
  
"What will become of me now?", Connor asked.  
  
"You will live."  
  
"But where will I go? How can I live among men now, they will be no different than my own   
  
kinsmen."  
  
"You will find your place Connor."  
  
"And what kind of life will it be? All alone in the world, with no family and no home."  
  
"You will find another."  
  
"And how would you know all of that?", Connor asked; sitting up to look at her.  
  
"Because that is my job highlander."  
  
"If you know all these things, why do you not tell me?"  
  
"Because no man may know his own destiny, because I cannot interfere."  
  
"Then why did you come?"  
  
"I wanted...I...I don't know.", she said; standing up and turning back toward the ridge.  
  
"And you will leave me with nothing, just like the rest.", Connor growled.  
  
  
  
  
  
She turned back to him, her eyes soft and glittering with barely contained tears. Connor   
  
swallowed hard, waiting to see what she would do. The capricious moods of the fey were legendary,  
  
and it was never wise to anger one. She moved to him, one hand reaching out to cup his cheek.   
  
Her eyes locked with his, and for a moment he could see forever reflected there.  
  
"Somewhere there is a valley and a river. A place where you can let your soul run free.   
  
Someday I pray you will let me be that river, and let me bring you peace.", she whispered.  
  
Connor stood in silence, his mind trying to wrap around the mystery of her words. She smiled sadly   
  
at him, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. With one last touch of her hand, she vanished   
  
before him; leaving a shower of golden dust behind.  
  
"I am with you always Connor. Do not be afraid.", her voice echoed across the hills.  
  
As it faded away, it was replaced by the mournful howl of the wolf; once again searching for what  
  
he had lost. Connor turned from the sound, ready to begin the long journey to find his destiny;  
  
to find the place where he could be free.  
  
  
  
~Fin 


End file.
